Annan concerned over border stalemate

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, expressed concern on Thursday that the "political will" to resolve the stalled border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea was still lacking. In his latest progress report on the four-year-old peace process, Annan urged the international community to throw its full weight behind a new UN resolution. He reiterated previous warnings that current military stability in the region was threatened by the continued lack of progress in resolving the standoff over the border. "While both parties stress that they have no desire to unleash an armed conflict, they reportedly continue to arm themselves and state they would not hesitate to react if provoked," said Annan. His 13-page report to the UN Security Council recommended scaling down the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), a peacekeeping force currently made up of 3,800 civilians and military staff and which costs US $16.8 million a month to maintain. The 15 permanent members of the Security Council are expected to meet in mid-September to review the report. The Secretary-General, who recommended extending UNMEE’s mandate by six months, suggested a gradual two-phased approach that would see headquarters staff scaled down by almost a third. On the military side, Kenyan troops who patrol the eastern sector of the border would be pulled out, with more helicopter patrols being introduced to monitor the ceasefire. The three border sectors would be consolidated into two covering the 1,000-km frontier. A commercial demining team has already replaced a Slovak military demining group, resulting in $6 million cut down on expenses. A further $20 million could be saved by troop reductions. Annan said UNMEE had made a "major contribution" to consolidating the ceasefire, adding that the military component of the force has been vital to stability. He added, in his report, that it was vital not to leave a "security vacuum" in the region. The peace process between the two neighbours stalled after Ethiopia rejected an April 2002 ruling by the international boundary commission. Annan said that implementation of the ruling of the border commission was the key to ending the stalemate. Both countries had initially agreed to accept the ruling as "final and binding". Annan urged Ethiopia to accept the decision of the border and Eritrea to engage in dialogue, adding that hardline positions taken by both sides "hinder" progress. "By now, it should be clear that progress will not be made merely by restating and maintaining positions which are well known," Annan said. "Both governments need peace and stability to focus on the serious humanitarian and development challenges facing their countries," he added. Although the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (ERC) drew up and published details of the new border in 2002, the physical demarcation of the frontier has been suspended. The boundary commission stated in an appendix to Annan’s report that it will close its field offices in both countries should no progress be made by the end of 2004.